FICTION

In the Red Canoe

by Leslie A. DAVIDSON
illus. by Laura Bifano. 32p. Orca. Oct. 2016. Tr $19.95. ISBN 9781459809734.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—A girl and her grandfather greet the magic of nature in the bow of their red canoe in this delicate and elegant tale. The story moves forward with rhythm that echoes the noise of a paddled canoe, with vivid similes (green lily pads like floating hearts), melodic alliteration (a slippery silver prize), and rhyming quatrains. Readers are introduced to different animals, like the loon and osprey. Bifano's full-bleed gouache illustrations are vivid but also mirror the gentleness of the text with soft colors and flowing lines. Her use of a variety of perspectives (looking upward from underwater, floating alongside lily pads, flying in the claws of a rising osprey) add to the book's magical and dreamlike qualities, and her depictions of the girl and her grandfather evoke a sweetness expressed by the text.
VERDICT A beautiful introduction to nature that will succeed in storytimes and one-on-one readings alike.
Reviewed by Laura Lintz, Henrietta Public Library, Rochester, NY , Sep 01, 2016

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